DESIGNING OF SUITABLE HIVES FOR REARING AND MULTIPLICATION OF STINGLESS BEE, Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith)
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Date
41842
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Publisher
University of Agricultural Sciences GKVK, Bangalore
Abstract
Studies on designing suitable hives for rearing, multiplication and colony
resilience of Tetragonula iridipennis were carried out during 2013-2014 at UAS,
GKVK, Bangalore. Hives of different sizes i.e., small, medium and large with
dimensions of 15x10x10 cm3, 30x10x10 cm3 and 30x15x10 cm3 were fabricated in
wood of 2.5 cm thickness. The mean percent increase in weight gain was 70.14, 91.00
and 37.35 %, brood volume was 826.86, 1089.18 and 786.96 % and food pot volume
was 1973.90, 2642.13 and 1767.94 % over the initial values during period of 6.5
months in small, medium and large hives, respectively. Part of brood and food pots
when separated from mother colony into new domiciles there was no attempt to raise
queen cells in the queenless part. T. iridipennis colonies placed in food dearth location
showed a reduction in brood and food pot volume by 40.02 and 96.58 cm3
respectively. In food abundant location they showed gain of brood and food pot
volume by 174.21 and 247.48 cm3, respectively. There were more nectar, pollen and
resin foragers at food abundant location @ 91.11, 74.05 and 25.61 bees/5min
respectively when compared to the food dearth location with respective activity of
40.03, 8.58 and 6.2 bees/5min. Bees commenced the repairing of damaged brood cells
within 30 min of damage infliction and completed the repair in five hours while, took
six hours for damaged food pots. The bees took four days to remove 100% freeze
killed dead brood from the colony.